Star Trek: The Final Countdown
by Ariston-1
Summary: A mysterious visitor throws the crew of the Enterprise into one of the most dangerous situations of their careers during the opening days of the Earth-Romulan War.
1. Chapter 1

_Earth Date: March 31_ _st_ _2156._

 _Location: Deep Space._

 _Vessel: Earth Starship Enterprise NX-01._

 _Captain Jonathon Archer Commanding._

Ever present onboard a starship was the rumbling of the engines and the sounds of the vessel's computer equipment. To a member of the crew of any vessel, it had become almost a comfort of background noises which was either ignored or enjoyed as a comfort by the crew. With each vessel, the sounds where slightly different to the trained ear as it had often been boasted by many that they could identify each vessel by the unique sounds from any location within the ship.

The sudden explosion of the ship sounds filled the senses of the unidentified young woman in the sickbay of the NX Class starship as the rumbling begun to steady within her senses while the brilliant white light stung her eyes as they opened slowly, only to clamp shut instantly with the familiar pain of looking into a bright white light. Blinking rapidly to clear her vision, she slowly looked up at the ceiling of the room before suddenly leaping upright while her eyes scanned the room which had appeared as almost familiar somehow. Instantly stepping towards her, two large guards wearing a blue jumpsuit with red shoulder trim stepped before her as she moved backwards slowly with recognition of the uniforms the two men where wearing.

Her mind instantly raced with confusion as she began to question her own senses, before laughing slightly as she sat upright and clapped her hands with a large smile on her face as she called for the computer to end the program. Looking at each other with confusion while a third man stepped towards her with the similar uniform yet with a gold trim and four bars on his right breast. Laughing slightly at the image of the man he saw before her, she once again called out the same command as he stopped at her side and demanded to know her name.

"This is funny guys! You got me this time, what did you do beam me out of the shuttle into a holodeck while I was asleep?" She called out to the room itself.

"Miss, I have no idea what you are talking about. Who are you?"

"Since I know who you are supposed to be, I'll play along with this delusion. Connor, Amanda. Starfleet Rank: Lieutenant Commander. Service Number…"

"Where do you think you are, Miss Connor?" He said slowly.

"I know where I'm supposed to think that I am. This is really a remarkable program, even the sounds are different. Ohh, I get it. This is another of those drills? I'll play along. You are Captain Jonathon Archer, this looks like Sickbay of the old NX Class… Enterprise right? I've seen one in the fleet museum… looks a little different this one" She said with laughter in her voice before coughing to play along with, whatever program she had believed that she had been selected for.

"Very well, Commander. What is the last thing that you remember, before waking up here?"

"I'll play along Mister Finch!" She called out the ceiling. "We been constructing a new shuttlecraft for a few months, I was inline to push the warp engines to their maximum… with the ship by my side, we leapt into warp. I conducted all of the usual tests, everything was fine so I decided to take a few minutes of sleep while the computer ran the tests… the next thing I know, I'm here. Nice work Finch, I thought that Archer was a little taller though"

"Commander, you have no idea where you are, do you?" Archer said slowly.

"Probably holodeck two, seeing how I would react to an unusual situation? Nice!"

"Commander, you are onboard the Enterprise, your shuttle is in our launch bay under heavy guard, we've never seen anything like it. What year do you think it is?" He said with concern in his voice.

Seeing the look of concern in his eyes, her smile instantly faded as she looked around the room and once again called for the Computer Program to end, using her own access code. With no reply from the computer, she stood slowly from the bio bed and walked around the room slowly while the two guard observed her every move as the captain stepped at her side while confusion instantly echoed over her face.

"Stardate 57771.8..."

"The Year Commander?" He said slowly.

"By Earth Calendar… Twenty… Three-Eighty?"

Archer's eyes opened wide as he instantly looked at the two guards and ordered them to seal the room, turning quickly towards the young woman at his side, confusion ran over their faces as he shook his head and told her the date. Her legs buckled instantly as she fell onto the deck plating while her face turned white as her jaw dropped and once again, she called out the computer to end the program, almost begging the computer to respond.

"This has to be a part of the test, please let this be a test? This is not possible… 224 years?"

"Commander, your shuttle appeared by our side three hours ago, almost crashed into us. We beamed you onboard and brought your shuttle inside, it's secured in the bay. We have a lot of questions for you Commander" He said slowly.

"Starfleet Temporal Displacement Policy states that I can not answer any of your questions… Sir! I will answer no questions. My shuttlecraft, must not be touched by anyone… I must be allowed to return home, Captain… Archer?"

"That maybe difficult Commander, assuming that you are, who you say that you are" Archer replied slowly. "Our Doctor has discovered that you are not entirely human…"

"I will say nothing more Captain. Although I do not believe that you are, who you claim to be. As far as I know, this could be another of Mister Finch's tests. If this is real, where is my uniform and equipment?"

"Mister Reed, have the Commander's uniform and equipment brought here, on the double" Archer said instantly.

"Unfortunately sir, her Phase Pistol is being analysed…"

" _WHAT_?" Connor said instantly. "Bring it here now, Lieutenant! Along with all of your… findings. I can not allow any technology from my time to contaminate your time… surely you understand that Captain? 2152, Captain Jonathon Archer and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed where held hostage by a Pre-Warp Civilisation after a Communicator was left behind after an away mission…"

"That was Classified by Starfleet!" Reed said instantly.

"Common knowledge where I come from Lieutenant, and the catalyst for regulations regarding Pre-Warp contact… My equipment, _NOW LIEUTENANT!_ "

"Malcolm!" Archer said slowly.

Nodding slowly, the Lieutenant left the room with the guard at his side while Connor stood slowly and walked towards the nearest computer display with a deep sigh in her voice as she examined the console before her along with the equipment on the desk, stepping to her side, the Captain spoke with an usual tone in his voice, a tone of slight anger and interest in her technologies.

"I'm not convinced that you are, who you say you are Commander. Although your technology is very advanced…"

"Nor am I convinced that I am truly in the 22nd Century and that you are truly Captain Archer. For now, let us assume that each is telling the truth? Have you contacted Starfleet with the news about me?"

"Not yet, we're running radio silent for the moment" Archer said slowly. "As far as I know, you could be some Romulan Spy…"

"I am Human Captain, more or less! But I could say the same about you, you could be some… shape-shifter, but I still maintain this is some form of… Test, to see my reactions. I've been a Starfleet officer since I was old enough to join the Service sir, my record is impeccable and I have worked very hard to make the rank of Lieutenant Commander before I was 26 years old. I intend to one day become the youngest Admiral in the history of the Service. For a moment, let us consider the fact that I am here, in the 22nd century, somehow. My mere presence has altered the flow of time, to what end? I have no idea. Let me examine the shuttlecraft… it's sensors will allow me to find out what happened?"

"Word has spread throughout the ship about you Commander, but you are correct, I know that better then anyone" Archer said slowly.

"Detroit, Michigan… 1990s if memory serves?…"

"Who did you…"

"Again, common knowledge in my time sir. I will not tell you anything about the future, if I am in the past. No-one, not one person must be permitted to enter or scan my craft, I want… no, demanding that all records be erased from all of your databases with regards to my presence. I should not be here" She said with a stern voice.

"Agreed, once again. You can't walk around this ship in your uniform Commander, I'll have the quartermaster issue you with something more appropriate"

"Thank you Captain. I'm a pilot sir, a good one and something of a history addict. The chance to look over this ship, in it's heyday is an amazing prospect, but I can not interfere with what must happen and please, do not ask me anymore questions about what must happen?"

Issued with a uniform from the current timeline, the Lieutenant Commander from the distant future remained locked the shuttle bay alone as she had begun to analyse the sensor data from her vessel. Surrounded by armed guards at each access point, and with all research delivered to her in person by the Captain himself, she had attempted to make sense of the almost unfathomable sensor data from the shuttles computer core for almost ten hours. Finally resigning herself to the fact that the sensor data was beyond her, she was left with no choice but to seek assistance from those of the crew itself. Escorted through the Enterprise by two security officers, the Commander entered the bridge of the ship as all eyes instantly turned upon her as her jaw dropped with a wide smile upon her face as she saw with her own eyes, the bridge of one of Starfleet's most legendary vessels itself.

"Wow! I mean… yeah, wow!" She mumbled to herself.

"Ready room, now!" Archer said instantly.

Escorted into the ready room as all eyes followed her closely, she once again stopped at the door as she studied the Captain's private office with a smile as he sat in his chair whilst his pet beagle leapt into his lap and curled up lovingly as the guards left the room.

"You wanted to see me, Commander?"

"I'm not entirely sure how, but this is real. I am back here… onboard NX-01! Sir, allow me to apologise for my earlier actions…"

"I understand Commander, more then you know" He said with a nod.

"Of course sir. Believe it or not Captain, I know more about you then you know about yourself, this is a huge honour. Your beagle, umm… Porthos?"

"Don't tell me that you know him too?" Archer said with an uncomfortable smile.

"Yes sir. When I was a child, we owned a Beagle, we named him Porthos. I would love nothing more then to sit talk with you about your past adventures sir… but I can't. I've probably already said to much… I am breaking so many regulations by asking this Captain, I can't understand the sensor data on my shuttle, I need help sir. Like I said, I'm a good pilot and a passable engineer. I've repaired what I can from my shuttle, but the data in the sensor logs is beyond me. If I may ask for the assistance from your First Officer?"

"T'Pol? Wouldn't that violate…"

"Temporal Directives? Yes sir. But if I'm right sir, I… no we, have a huge problem" She said slowly.

"How big of a problem, Commander?" Archer said slowly, fearing the answer.

"About 464 meters long, 87 meters high and with 19 decks and a crew of… hundreds sir. My ship, my ship could be here, somewhere… our last position was… you won't know those worlds, sorry. My ship could have been brought through with me Captain"

" _WHAT_?!" Archer said as he stood instantly.

"From what I saw, a massive temporal distortion of some kind, tore through space at the same time that my engines overloaded. It threw my shuttle back in time, judging by the size of the anomaly, the _Nimitz_ could also be here, somewhere. I've served with my Captain for eight years, I know him… he's a good officer…"

"What kind of problems could we be discussing here, Commander?"

Slowly reaching behind her back, Amanda seemed to take a deep breath as she closed her eyes whilst considering her next actions, actions which could and will land her into serious trouble, if she returned to her own time. Questioning her own actions, numerous times inside of her mind, she slowly handed a P.A.D.D to the Captain, a P.A.D.D which contained a brief schematic of the vessel itself. Looking down at the designs before him, the Captain's eyes opened wide as he tried to understand what he was seeing before him, schematics of a vessel much larger then his own ship, yet similar in design and with weaponry which put his own vessel to shame.

"She's an Akira Class starship Captain, designed to fight and protect Starfleet. If this ship was to be captured by an enemy force, somehow?… nothing could stop her with the current technology at everyone's disposal. Just One… of her torpedoes could destroy a shielded Vulcan cruiser. She could literally take on a fleet of Romulan ships and fight her way to the homeworld, before destroying it alone. I've already crossed that line I mentioned Captain Archer, but if my ship falls into enemy hands… it's game over for all. That ship, my shuttle, even myself are dangerous to this timeline… help me to find her and take her home, before anything bad happens?"

"Commander T'Pol, report to the Ready-room… NOW!" Archer said as he glared at the Commander before him.

"Do you… understand now Captain? When I return, I will be arrested and facing serious charges back home. My career is now over with this one action Captain… but this is the most dangerous situation that you have ever and will ever encounter. I have to make sure that I read my readings wrong, please god, let my readings be wrong!" She called out to the ceiling.

Looking down towards the Captain with a hopeful look in her eyes, she instantly took the computer from his hands and placed it inside of her uniform as the doorbell chimed. Calling for the Vulcan First Officer to enter, Archer picked up his pet beagle from the floor and lovingly placed his faithful pet in the chair behind him while Commander T'Pol entered, the First Vulcan to serve in Starfleet entered and stood at her side.

"Computer, seal the door and erase the last five minutes of the log entries from this room…" Archer said instantly. "T'Pol, if I order you never to divulge what you hear inside of this room, will you obey that order?"

"Captain?" T'Pol said with a raised eyebrow.

"Answer the question, Commander"

"I will, sir?"

"Good. There are to be no log entries made… am I clear?" Archer said slowly.

"Yes… Captain" T'Pol replied, with a raised eyebrow.

"Commander Connor…"

"You know who I am and where I am from, I'm not a scientist, just a Pilot with a passion for a few other things. I'm… a somewhat, passable engineer but a terrible Scientist. I've been studying my shuttle's logs and I need help. I don't know how I found myself here, or why… the universe is strange that way. What you are about to hear Commander T'Pol, will be denied by your Captain… you will sound like an insane fool if you ever mention this to anyone. I've done what I can to analyse my shuttle's sensors, I hope that I am wrong, but if I am not… hell is not far behind me"

"Miss Connor?" T'Pol said slowly, questioning her.

"My name is Lieutenant Commander Alison Sarah Connor, But people call me Amanda, no idea why. I was born 26 years ago… on Vulcan, my timeline of course. During an experimental Engine test on the shuttlecraft, a hole seemed to be torn in space and time, I found myself here… 224 years in the past, and… my ship, the USS Nimitz, may also be here, with enough firepower to take out anything in her path. I need your help to make sure that I am wrong…"

Pacing the room slowly, Amanda once again reached into her uniform and held the computer in her hands as she took a long and deep breath as she mumbled under her breath, before handing the computer to the Vulcan officer.

"This is my ship T'Pol… The USS Nimitz, twice the size of this one and more power then you can imagine at the moment. Hell, my shuttle alone, is faster then Enterprise and could destroy her easily. You could not imagine what that ship is capable of… she was designed to combat a species that is centuries beyond anyone you have ever encountered. If I am wrong, then I will only be arrested and my career would be over when I return, if I am right? Then my future… the future that should be, will not exist"

"What do you need, Commander?" T'Pol said slowly, as she examined the data before her.

"What I need is a Scientist, and you are all that I have. I trust you… I will grant you a limited, very limited access to my ship's sensor records. If I am wrong, then I don't care… but if I am right in what I think? We'll need to track the Nimitz. I know my Captain, he will attempt to search for me, but he will also attempt to make contact with the nearest… Starfleet Facility, once that fails and it will. He will set course for that location which is… oh my god! That _WILL_ be a problem Archer, because it is close to Klingon Space… Klingon Space of this era!"

"What is the location Commander?" Archer said slowly.

"Starbase… it was once known as K-7. I know that means nothing to you sir, I'll have the location sent to your helm very soon Captain"


	2. Chapter 2

_Captain's Log: Stardate_ _57771.9..._

 _The experimental Shuttlecraft containing Lieutenant Commander Amanda Connor has seemingly vanished from our sensors, all attempts to locate and hail the vessel have gone unanswered. Yet, now we are left with a deeper mystery as we have had no contact with Starfleet Command on any channel and as a result, I have ordered a course set for the nearest Starfleet Facility, Starbase K-7, in a once Contested region of space, I only hope that Commander Connor has also set her course for that location as per orders, if we where separated._

Pacing the bridge of his vessel slowly from the port to starboard turbolift at either side of the viewscreen with his hands behind his back, the Captain of the USS Nimitz, Captain Ericson Taylor, a veteran of the Dominion War and numerous conflicts before and since the war itself, momentarily stopping as he checked the readouts on the Helm and Operations stations with anxiety while the Communications Officer called out her report of no contact with either Starfleet or the missing shuttlecraft. Removing his hands from behind his back and clenching his fists slightly before releasing his grip, the tall Human Captain changed his direction once more as he walked across the bridge towards the nearest Science station, a station which had been monitoring the progress of the shuttlecraft itself.

"Anything Mister Sloan?"

"Not yet sir, I'm still having trouble making head or tails of these readings. I've never seen such readings before, there was a momentary spike in the upper wave-length before everything fell silent. For some reason, the sensors stopped recording for two minutes. I'm at a loss to explain it sir"

"Keep at it Lieutenant, if she is out there, you'll be the first to find her" The Captain said with a half smile.

"Absolutely sir, Amanda is my cousin… we're like sisters. I'll find her, you can count on that"

"I know you will Mandy, stay on it. Lieutenant Hiltz, anything?"

"Still nothing Captain, I'm monitoring all of the Standard frequencies, Starfleet and Civilian…nothing but static. Wait a minute, picking something up, very low power in the lower bands, almost none existent…"

"The Shuttle?" He said with a slight hope.

"No sir, I'm having difficulty drawing it in. This frequency is so low, it barely registers. Give me a moment to reconfigure"

Lieutenant Alan Hiltz, a career Starfleet Officer whom had served with the Captain for over fifteen years, once brought onboard his first command from the ship they once served on and the first person he had requested for his first command of an aging Constellation Class Starship, worked feverishly at the touch sensitive systems before him as he quickly reconfigured the communications systems with expert ease in an attempt to detect the signal, smiling slightly to himself, he looked back up at his friend and commanding officer as he nodded while a faint static filled voice echoed over the bridge speakers, begging for assistance.

… _Repeat, if anyone is out there, this is… Discovery, we've lost all power… under attack. Weapons gone… failed! Hull breaches… all decks… attack by Romulan Ship!_

All eyes instantly turned on the Captain with shock at the panic in the voice identified as a Lieutenant onboard a Starship under attack by Romulan Forces. Instantly the Captain turned towards the helm officer and nodded as the young woman altered the course of the ship towards the location of the distress call and increased speed to maximum warp while the tactical officer armed the weapons and powered the protective shield grid.

"Romulans? They're our allies. What the hell is going on?"

Turning slowly towards the seat to the left of the Captain's chair, the elderly human male stood slowly as the Captain instantly smiled as he walked towards the Civilian observer shaking his head with a smile as he spoke.

"I didn't give you enough credit Mister Finch, this is very good. Loss of Contact with both Starfleet and the Shuttle, now a call from a Starship under attack by an ally? Very, very good!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about Captain, this isn't me" He protested.

"You want to test us whilst under pressure, or is just me? I know that I've had some personal issues since the war, but I've been cleared for duty. This is very, very good… Sensor contacts?"

"Nothing yet sir. I've checked the database, the Discovery was a Galaxy Class Starship, commissioned two years after Enterprise-D, Lieutenant Wallace is the Chief of Security, Dietrich Wallace… and was highly decorated by Starfleet… He was killed, during the Second Battle of the Chin'Toka System, Captain, the Discovery was destroyed with all hands" Called out the Science officer.

"Could she have survived, moved off to be repaired?"

"Captain, you're not listening. The Breen energy dampening weapons that destroyed the USS Defiant? Was then turned on the Discovery shortly afterwards and destroyed by the Dominion fleet. Records state that the vessel was listed as destroyed with all hands lost, the resulting explosion destroyed two more vessels due to debris and shockwave. That ship, can not be the Discovery…"

"Then who the hell is calling out to us?" The Captain with anger, as he clenched his fists once more.

"Unknown Captain"

"Alan! Break radio silence, inform the Discovery that we are in the area and moving to intercept"

Nodding slightly, the Captain's old friend turned back to his console as he began to inform the Discovery that help was on the way.

Onboard the NX Class Enterprise, secluded in the shuttle bay, Commander T'Pol and Commander Connor sat in the shuttlecraft from the distant future as the Vulcan Officer began to recheck over the readings from the computer of the highly advanced vessel under the watchful eye of the Commander herself.

"You claimed to be born on Vulcan, yet you are human?"

"Yes, My mother was a Doctor, my father a Pilot. I was trained by them both, their only child" Connor said slowly and cautiously.

"It must have been difficult, growing up on Vulcan?"

"Not really, I shouldn't be saying this Commander, may I call you T'Pol? Thank you" She said as the Commander nodded. "In my time, many Humans and Vulcans are born on different worlds, in fact, an ancestor of mine was Vulcan. I knew her, when I was young. She passed away when I was five years old… I have a huge amount of respect for your species T'Pol. I have many Vulcan friends, friends that I hope to see again"

"Your data appears to be, very accurate. I have never seen such readings with such clarity before"

"T'Pol, eyes on the data and not the equipment. I read about you when I was at Starfleet Academy, I completed my final thesis on you and this ship, I never imagined that I would be onboard her. It's strange, on my ship I am a passable engineer, that's why I was selected for the tests of this shuttle. But here, on your Enterprise, I could make this ship something greater… you could not imagine what I could do for this vessel. I met Commander Tucker, this morning. He wanted complete access to this shuttle and her engines"

"I believe that the Commander would find this shuttle, interesting" T'Pol replied, without taking her eyes off of the Console before her.

"You have no idea. That's it, that is where I got lost in the data" Connor said as she pointed to the screen before her.

"I can see why. This data is, incredible. If I am reading this correctly, I believe that you where correct in your assessment, your vessel has appeared in this timeline at the same time as you appeared, yet in a separate location"

"Can you track it?" Connor said, fearing the answer.

"Not with the sensors of the Enterprise. I believe that your shuttlecraft…"

"What the hell? If you're going to step into the water fully clothed, it may as well be up to the neck! Computer, tap in to the Enterprise communications systems, have Captain Archer and Commander Tucker report to the shuttle bay, immediately"

"Confirmed" Called out the Computer.

"Fascinating!"

Walking through the decks of the Enterprise towards the shuttle bay with Commander Tucker at his side, as requested by an unusual female voice over the ship's intercom, the two officer stepped into the shuttle bay as the rear hatch on the shuttlecraft slipped open while Commander Tucker stood before the sleek, small and fast ship with a large smile upon his face. Finally entering the cramped ship, his eyes opened wide as he looked at each of the displays before him, almost imagining what the vessel itself could be capable of while T'Pol stood from the pilot's seat and the Captain slowly sat down.

"Don't drool on the controls people. My assessment was correct, USS Nimitz, is here somewhere"

"Cap'n, this is amazing…"

"Hands off Trip!" Archer said with a smile.

"We need to find the Nimitz and alert her to the situation, if they don't know by now, they soon will. I'm going to take the shuttle out and search where I believe that they may have appeared, it's a distance away but as I said, my shuttle is faster then your ship. With the new modifications, this shuttle has a maximum speed of just beyond Warp 6..."

"That's impressive, but I don't believe that" Replied the Chief Engineer with a greedy look in his eyes.

"Over a century from now, the warp speeds will be revised as ships became much faster. To keep up with this shuttle, you'd have to be close to warp seven, the Nimitz is much faster…"

"Commander, should you be telling us any of this?" Archer replied with concern in his voice.

"I'm already past that line sir, when I pointed out the dangers earlier. Eric Taylor is a good man, he's had a few personal problems in recent years, I need to speak with him personally… that's why you are here Captain. I need your help, he will listen to you. Commander T'Pol will take command of Enterprise and head to these Co-Ordinates… what I need you both to do is have the entire crew confined to the interior of the Enterprise, away from all windows and when I call you on a coded channel, shut down all sensors and make sure that only the Command crew is on the bridge when the Nimitz arrives. The fewer people who see her, the better"

"Why me Commander?"

"Captain, call me Amanda. You've been through similar situations many times since you took command of Enterprise, forwards in time, back in time… you've seen it all, I know that you have no reason to Captain, but I am hoping that you can trust me?"

News of the unusual passenger and her vessel had continued to echo around the ship as new security measures where put into place with immediate effect, although the disappearance of the Captain himself had become the primary talking point around the ship as rumours had ranged from the Captain being taken back into the distant future, to an assassination attempt on the leader of the Romulan Empire. Taking a moment away from the bridge to enjoy a much need cup of coffee, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed sat seemingly alone in the mess hall, as he would be often found while he would often review the latest security reports from around the ship, with the exception of today as he reviewed his personal files recorded and hidden away from the crew regarding the weapon found on the Lieutenant Commander herself. Knowing that her personal Phase-Pistol, an unusual ergonomically designed sleek and powerful weapon could be of a tactical advantage to Starfleet, the Lieutenant once again disregarded orders to make a private copy for himself, even though he still found it almost impossible to understand the technology, his personal curiosity seemed to get the better of him. Placing all information on his personal computer tablet, he cautiously reviewed all of the information as he sat with his back to the corner of the room, so that no one could sit behind him and see what he was studying. Half way through his first cup of coffee, a blend of Vulcan origin that he had grown to enjoy, Reed looked up slowly to once again consider his actions while two junior officers from Engineering entered the room, discussing the current situation.

"… I'm serious Jim, I was in engineering when Tucker was looking over the engine data. That ship, is like nothing we've ever seen. Similar in size to a Shuttlepod, but faster then Enterprise herself"

"I heard that Sally, I also heard from Crewman Baker in Sickbay that the woman is working for Starfleet, some new design of ship that they don't want the Romulans to know about…"

Deactivating his computer tablet and finishing his almost cold Coffee, Lieutenant Reed stood and gathered his belongings as the conversation continued as they had begun to theorise that the Enterprise was on its way to rendezvous with a new vessel, designed and built in secret by the new Coalition to combat the growing Romulan threat and manned by all members of the Coalition itself, a vessel of which they would all be transferred to once it arrives.

"Ensigns, that kind of talk is dangerous here. What are you doing here? This area is off limits until further notice"

"Lieutenant? Getting a cup of coffee sir. We've been on duty for almost ten hours…"

"Then return to your quarters, Ensigns Willis and Patel, consider that an order or I shall have you both placed on report. And lets have no more talk about this… situation and that is an order!"

"Yes, Lieutenant. May we be permitted to return with a cup of coffee?" Ensign Samantha Willis said slowly.

"Make it fast"

Stood by the door to the corridor, the Lieutenant watched carefully as the two junior officers ordered their drinks before he followed them back to their quarters, seemingly under guard. Once they had entered their quarters, Malcolm Reed locked both of their doors before looking up and down the corridor and activating his personal tablet and erasing all information on the weapon itself from his private computer system.


	3. Chapter 3

Tearing through space at maximum warp for the enhanced shuttlecraft at a speed of which the Starfleet Captain could only imagine for his own ship, he sat at the console next to the pilot as he was only granted access to the sensors themselves, which where displayed directly before him as the pilot remained almost silent during the journey itself, speaking only to instruct the Captain on how to operate the console before himself as the display had been altered to a setting more familiar to himself.

"You don't speak much, do you Amanda?"

"Only when I have something to say Captain… may I call you John?"

"Of course. You grew up on Vulcan?" He said slowly.

"I did. I lived there until I was old enough to join Starfleet Academy. I haven't been back home in years…"

"I've been there myself, a few times… have you ever seen 'The Forge'?"

"No, I haven't. I was born near the City of Raal, beautiful place near the Voroth Sea? My father taught me to swim and even surf there" She said with a smile of fond memories.

"You said that you have a Vulcan ancestor?"

"Yes, my great-grandmother on my mother's side was Vulcan, she was… my idol, she wouldn't show it around other Vulcans, but I could always make her laugh. Have you ever seen a Vulcan laugh John? It's the most amazing, truly amazing laughter of the purest of joy, almost like a child. She once said that she had a human mother, but never spoke of it since. I felt a deeper connection with her then I felt with my own parents and she shared the same, she even told me. When she died, I was only five years old and I was present, she wanted me there for some reason that I still don't know why"

"It must have been difficult for you, being so young?" He said slowly.

"I've never forgotten the look in her eyes John, it was a pure smile and then she whispered to me that I would see her again, when I am much older and then she made me promise that when I see her again, I would give her a ring that she always wore, the ring that is on a chain around my neck ever since. My mother said later, that she was delusional from the illness that she suffered from due to her advanced age"

Instantly, the Captain looked down at his display as a signal alerted him to the warp signature that they had begun to trace for the past hour. Leaning over to the co-pilot's seat, she reactivated the console displays with a large smile as he looked down at the console before him as on the long range sensors, further then any ship of his knowledge could see, a large vessel appeared to be warping away from them at high speeds, speeds that he could not imagine.

"My god!"

"They won't be within range for long… accessing long range communications systems. John, sit on the deck behind my seat?" She said with a large smile on her face as he continued to look at the display before himself.

"USS Nimitz, this Commander Connor hailing on secured channel 487.2, alter your course to intercept this vessel… I repeat!"

Pacing the bridge of his own vessel, almost wearing a mark into the carpet beneath his feet, the Captain of the USS Nimitz continued to rub his right forefinger and thumb together continuously, a habit that he had picked up at the Academy to deal with stress and something that the crew of his vessel had noticed over the years of working with him. Instantly looking up from her console, Lieutenant Alan Hiltz instantly called out the news of a faint voice of which he had known for many years as the Captain instantly turned and ordered the message to played over the bridge speakers before he replied.

"Commander? Are we glad to hear your voice…"

"Eric, alter course. 180 degrees by positive 65... You're almost out of range"

"We've picked up a distress signal and on the way to assist" He said slowly, with a smile.

"Eric, do it now! You have no idea what is going on. If you've never trusted me before, now is the time. Reverse your course and meet up with me, now… we have a serious problem that I do not wish to discuss over this channel"

Looking back towards his Communications officer, he nodded as she threw him an earpiece for private communications. Placing it on his left ear with a small microphone placed on his left jaw, he spoke quietly and seemed to freeze mid step while his missing officer explained briefly what had happened as his eyes opened wide and his face, turned pale.

"Helm, reverse course, maximum warp. Open the landing bay doors and prepare for warp retrieval!"

"Captain, that has never been done before. I know that it's been theorised, but…"

"Do I stutter Mister? Alter course now. Red Alert!"

"Sir?"

" _NOW_ _MISTER_!"

Recovering a vessel at warp speeds had only been theorised by Starfleet Tactical and abolished as fast due to the fact that if their calculations where off, even by a fraction of a percent, the shuttlecraft would rip through the mother ship, destroying both vessels instantly before anyone could act. Although a new theory had been placed forwards where it was suggested that the crippled shuttle, which was to be recovered would aim directly at the vessel as it approached, the mothership with a forwards facing hanger bay would momentarily drop out of warp and reverse all thrust for a fraction of a second until the shuttlecraft was inside of the bays before leaping back into warp speeds whilst all force fields and tractor beams would slow and capture the shuttlecraft safely before it tore through the rest of the ship itself.

Nervously sat in the seat next to the pilot, Archer looked down at the screen once more as his eyes once again opened wide while he looked up at viewport before himself and saw a large ship drop out of warp, dangerously close to the shuttlecraft itself. Clasping his hands around the edge of the console before him, he looked instantly at the woman beside him as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes whilst time seemed to stop within the shuttlecraft, yet moving forwards inch by inch as the large shuttle bay moved closer and closer until they where both thrown forwards instantly as the shuttlecraft creaked and seemingly twisted before them. Consoles exploded around them as the frightened Captain closed his eyes for a moment as he cried out. ' _Ohh BOY!_ ' before being thrown against the console in front of him as a loud crash and thud, echoed through the shuttlecraft itself.

"Ohh my god! Was that good for you also John?" Amanda said with fear in her voice.

"What the hell was that?"

"A warp pickup! They say the first time, is always the hardest. Eric, nice job!"

"That was the most insane thing that we've ever done Amanda!" The Captain of the Nimitz cried out. "Nice timing… now, get up here and explain what the hell is going on!"

"Sorry sir, you'd better get down here. I'll explain everything, but only to you and Mandy… this situation is different then you realise"

Anger swelled within the Starfleet Captain as he stood with his fists clenched and his face burning red after the brief report from his officer, a woman that he had known and trusted for many years. Her obvious disregard for Starfleet protocol in similar situations could have lasting repercussions throughout time itself as she had exposed her true origins to a starship from two and a quarter centuries earlier and placing the entire timeline in jeopardy. Once again rubbing his thumb and index finger together only this time on both hands as he remained almost statuesque, his eyes burned with anger as he continued to growl his disappointment at the officer before him.

"Eric stop before you hurt yourself again! I did what I thought was right. You had no idea when you where, this ship is…"

"This ship can defend itself, more so now against any vessel!"

"Agreed. But if the Romulans come for us? For this ship, in force? I'll bet that we'll sustain damage, shields are not perfect, right?"

"She's right Captain" Mandy replied, in agreement. "We couldn't sustain assaults for long"

"Protocol states that…"

"To _HELL_ with Protocol Eric! That was written by someone who isn't here, now! Only a handful of Archer's crew know about us, I made sure of that and so did he. We have to get this ship back to where she belongs… after which, I will submit myself to whatever action you see fit, but we need his help!" She said as she pointed to Captain Archer as he leaned against the shuttlecraft.

"I know why you did what you did Kiddo, but your actions could have serious repercussions into the future of…"

"Your… Federation?" Archer replied, instantly. "Relax, she told me nothing, I already knew about it. One thing is certain, you don't belong here anymore then I belong in the 29th century, long story. We have to get you back, somehow"

"I know who you appear to be, but I don't believe this…"

"Eric, believe it. He is John Archer…" Amanda said with a large smile on her face.

"Why does everyone look at me like I am some kind of…"

"Hero?" Lieutenant Amanda Sloan said slowly as she stepped closer to him. "Because, to us sir, you are. My name is Mandy, Mandy Sloan… and this unusual woman next to me is my cousin. We've heard the stories about you sir, may I shake your hand?"

"Cousin? You look like sisters" He said with a smile as he extended his hand, slowly.

"Long story. It's a real honour… before I came here, I located your ship. I almost cried when I saw her Captain… I never thought that I would see her, outside of…"

"Mandy!" Amanda said instantly.

"The history files, I could stand here and talk to you all day, and I and I am sure that my Captain would say the same, but we need to get home and soon…"

Looking down towards her feet as she blushed slightly, the Lieutenant ran her fingers through her hair as Archer saw a slight point to her ears, revealing her Vulcan heritage that was not present on her own cousin. Ignoring what he saw, if only for a moment, he looked back towards the Captain of the much larger future vessel as he nodded slightly with a half smile, a smile which was returned by the Captain himself.

"Captain Taylor, sensors have detected a large fleet of Romulan ships…" A voice called out over the speakers in the shuttle bay. "And Captain, they are approaching a Starship that I don't believe I am seeing"

"How many ships?" Taylor said, as Archer took a deep breath.

"Nine sir, Warbird Class… Captain, the ships are ancient as is the Starship. Sir, what is going on?"

"Eric, we can't allow this to happen. You know what is at stake here" Amanda Connors said slowly.

"Helm, maximum speed. Arm all weapons and raise shields… that ship, must be protected at all costs. All other concerns, are second. Am I clear?"

"Clear, Captain?" Called out the voice over the speakers.

"Computer, Four to beam directly to the bridge" Taylor said slowly as he glared at Amanda Connors. "Charlie, clear the bridge, only essential personnel granted access, am I clear?"

"No sir, but I'll get it done"

Materialising before them on the bridge twice the size of the NX Class Starship, the remaining bridge crew instantly leapt from their chairs as Jonathon Archer looked at his new surroundings in shock and awe at what he saw around him. Having only seen the smaller support craft, he now saw the most advanced technology that he could have imagined, far beyond what was even onboard a Vulcan ship of his era. Intently walking towards the helm, Amanda Connor replaced the helm officer before she turned to the rest of the bridge crew and spoke with an almost whisper as she had informed the crew around her of the current situation.

"Commander, you do realise what you have done here?" Called out the Communications officer.

"I do Lieutenant, no doubt I will be arrested and charged with high crimes once we return home. I will accept full responsibility for my actions and those of this crew… Eric, with your permission sir?"

"I don't like this Connor, not one bit. Temporal Investigations will have your head on a platter for your actions, your career is over" He said slowly.

"I'm aware of that sir. Red Alert! Prepare to intercept the Romulan Fleet, we're only going to scare them off, not destroy them. Mister Carpenter, consult the database on those Romulan ships, find the exact setting to collapse their shields only and program the phasers, no torpedoes"

"You can do that?" Archer said instantly. "That could be of vital importance to Starfleet…"

"John, don't ask us to give you that information please? Mandy, get to your post and keep an eye on the long range sensors, if any Starfleet ship approaches, I want to know about it first"

"Of course. I'll also keep an eye open for temporal distortions, maybe our way home could reappear?" She said slowly as she kept her eyes on the legendary Starfleet Captain.

"Of course. Take a seat Captain Archer… this is where the fun begins"

Cruising through space towards the location of the Prized NX-01, the earth vessel regarded as a priority target for either destruction or capture by the Romulan Senate, Commander Bochra, a seasoned officer of numerous conflicts, read over the information on the Earth Starship Enterprise as he could taste the victory which lay out before him. Having faced off against the Earth Starship once before only to be chased off by the sudden arrival of three Earth Allied vessels, he now held the advantage with a fleet of Warbirds at his command. His orders where simple and to the point, cripple the Enterprise, board the vessel and execute her crew before taking the prize back to the Praetor where he would finally receive the honour of becoming an Admiral of the Fleet. Hand chosen by the Praetor himself for this specific assignment, his confidence in his vessel and fleet had grown to almost larger then life proportions as did those of his crew around him.

Tracking the Enterprise for months, often shadowing her whilst hidden under the cloak itself, he had observed much about the Human Captain himself with regards to his tactics when under fire. Quickly reporting the status of the fleet to her Commander, the young tactical officer smiled slightly as she once again activated the cloak under her Senior Officer's orders while the small fleet responded on an encoded channel as they approached a gas giant planet, where Enterprise had been spotted seemingly waiting for something. From the corner of her eye, she looked down at her display before her as her eyes opened quickly whilst instantly looking down at the sensor readout as she blinked twice and rechecked the display.

"Commander… sensors are detecting a vessel approaching from the northern pole of the gas planet…"

"Starfleet?" He said slowly as she seemingly froze to the spot. "Sub-Lieutenant, Starfleet?"

"I do not know sir… but it's big sir, very big and approaching fast. It appears to be protected by an energy shield that our sensors can not penetrate"

Looking back towards the viewscreen before him, the image of a large vessel appeared before him, similar in design to the NX Class Earth Starships, yet much larger with it's warp engines hung below the primary hull. Standing slowly from his seat, his stomach churned while the larger vessel moved towards his own ship as a Human voice broke through the communications channels.

"Romulan Fleet, move away from this system or be destroyed. This is your only warning"

"How are they doing that Lieutenant, Lieutenant?" He said instantly towards the frightened young officer.

"I have no idea sir, but they can see us through the Cloak!"

"How in the name of the Gods could Earth build a ship like that, without our knowledge? Attention Fleet, transfer all power from your cloaks to your weapons and shields. Forget Enterprise, that vessel is our new Target!"

"The Fleet is responding Commander"

Decloaking instantly and surrounding the large unknown vessel, weapons fired into the protective shielding as it seemed to wait, testing their attacks. Deep within himself, Commander Bochra could feel his confidence slipping away as each weapons impact against the shields of the enemy vessel seemed to do little or no damage and moments later, energy blasts from multiple points around the large and unknown vessel slammed against the shields of the Romulan fleet. Explosions tore through the bridge of his ship as he ducked instantly and protected his face from debris of an exploding console before as the crew began to report the status of their ship.

"Shields are down, Torpedoes and Disrupters are off-line. Commander, we must withdraw!"

"Press the attack, find a way past those shields" Bochra yelled.

"NO!" Cried out the second in command. "Helm, bring us about… order the fleet to withdraw. We must gain reinforcements. That vessel is like nothing that we have seen before, they collapsed our shields with one volley, and not just our shields Commander, the entire fleet"

"Commander, for a moment… I was able to scan that vessel beyond her shields. There are close to 1'000 humans and none humans onboard, but for a brief moment I believe that I detected some form of temporal signature… from the future. I cannot be sure until I analyse our readings, we must withdraw Commander"

"Very well, order the fleet to pull back to secondary position, but keep that vessel on your screen Lieutenant"

Shock and awe echoed through Jonathon Archer as the vessel had done what was seemingly impossible for his or any other ship that he had known, crippled and entire Romulan fleet with a single volley of their weapons. Smiling slightly to himself at the prospect of learning how this could be done by his own ship, or perhaps even asking the crew of the magnificent vessel to remain in this century, he quickly shook off the idea as foolish as their presence had already interfered with the timeline to a point where the Romulan Star Empire had seen this remarkable vessel and would now begin to track her down, where ever she went.

"They're backing off" Connor said slowly, with a deep sigh.

"They'll be back, in greater numbers. We have to get out of here before we do more damage to the timeline"

"Captain, I was looking over the historical database, I don't think that we have. History reported that on this day, at this time. A fleet of Romulan ships where disabled by a large and unknown vessel whilst they attempted an assault on the Enterprise" Called out an officer, from the rear of the bridge.

"Thank you, Mister Shran!" The Captain said slowly.

Instantly looking behind himself at the sound of a name that he knew well, Archer saw a tall blue male walk towards him as he stood slowly.

"Shran?"

"Not an uncommon name on my world, Captain Archer. Captain Taylor, as I was stating, the Romulans referred to a mysterious vessel, translates as ' _The Black Death_ ' which once attacked a Romulan fleet and disappeared shortly afterwards. They spent years, searching for the ship only to find nothing. Our presence here, is not a coincidence"

"A Pre-Destination Paradox?" Connor said from the helm, with a slight smile upon her face.

"What ever the reason for you people to be here, if he was going to show up, he would have done so already" Archer said with a half smile. "Daniels… I've had dealings with him in both the past and the distant future"

"Whatever the reason for us being her John, we must get back before those Romulans return, with a larger fleet! Captain Taylor, we need the sensor data from Enterprise, when I arrived here, I almost crashed into her. She must have sensor data on my arrival?"

"I won't allow anymore contamination then has already occurred…"

"Then send me back sir, with Archer and the shuttle? I can hide the shuttle in their sensor blind spot, it's tight but I can fit the shuttle inside of it, I'll beam over with Archer directly to their bridge whilst in this uniform, get the data and beam back to the shuttle, alone. Mandy can look over the data herself?"

"Do it! Amanda, you are on thin ice with hot blades, be careful what you say and do. Archer, how long will that take?" Taylor said with a smile towards his childhood hero, that he could never imagine meeting in person.

"I had all of the files deleted, recovery could be a problem. Three, maybe four hours… with T'Pol's help"

"Do it!" He said with a nod. "You have four hours Amanda, no more. If you can't recover the data by then, we'll find another way home"


	4. Chapter 4

Spreading like a wild fire across his fleet as news of the discovery of a vessel from the future had broken across the Romulan ship and beyond, Commander Bochra had called for the commanders of the nine ships to compare sensor data on the mysterious vessel, whilst sending for reinforcements from the closest commands to his location. With the prospect of a escalation of the war with the Earth Starfleet growing by the day as Starfleet had begun to enter their territories under the flag of exploration, the constant expansion of their sphere of influence could no longer be tolerated by the Romulan Senate while all available vessels had been moved to patrols along their previously established space.

"The vessel is far more advanced then anything then we have seen before Bochra. Although I hardly believe that it is a future vessel. Somehow, they have managed to construct such a ship without our knowledge and placed an energy signature around such a vessel, to confuse your sensors. It is my belief and the belief of those around me, that the vessel is a prototype ship with advanced weapons and shielding provided by our Vulcan brothers and the Andorian people, who are now their allies"

"I do not share your belief my old friend, our readings are clear…"

"Commanders, whatever the origin of that vessel. It must be dealt with, and soon" Called out the young female Sub-Lieutenant. "The Human plague has approached our territories far to often and is currently spreading out faster then we had anticipated, and their alliance of worlds is growing. Although their technology is less advanced then our own, they are learning at an impressive rate. It is my belief that the vessel is a ploy, a last ditch attempt at technological breakthrough to combat our own ships. How else can they have detected our vessels through the cloaking systems? We must capture that vessel and use it against them before they turn it against us"

"And just how do you suggest that we achieve such a task Lieutenant, ask them to hand it over?" An aging Commander replied with laughter.

"In fact, yes! I have analysed my readings of the vessel. Although highly advanced, it has a flaw that we can use against her commander and crew. During our attack on the vessel, I noticed that their shields had a small hole for a brief moment, they are not fully operational. I was able to locate her computer core, with a sustained attack and when that hole appears once again, we could transport a small team through that hole and take the ship" The Lieutenant said with a large smile. "There was only nine people on their bridge at that time… let me do this. Give me three of your most experienced officers, I'll take the bridge and flood the ship with a gas and then, take the ship back to Romulus under your flag Commander Bochra"

"You will be a hero to the Empire, Bochra… you could use that ship and finally restore your family to their rightful place within the Empire, as leaders" Called out a Commander from the shadows.

"We will need more ships" Bochra said with a large and greedy smile.

"I have three on their way, with others waiting for the call. Praetor!"

Travelling the short distance to the Enterprise while the USS Nimitz hid herself from sensors, inside the large gas giant, Captain Archer and his command staff had begun to assist the commander herself with the recovery of the lost sensor data for transmission back to the ship, hidden nearby, yet also away from the sensors from the Enterprise herself. Sworn to secrecy over what he had seen whilst onboard the much larger vessel, Captain Archer almost yearned to rip apart the Nimitz for her secrets, however the argument in the Captain's private office still weighed heavy on his mind as he finally requested that the Commander join him in his own private office.

"What was all of that about, you said that you would take over… Amanda, what is happening?"

"Ericson Taylor is a good man and a fine Commander. Sixteen months ago, we where sent to bolster the defences of an outlining colony, light-years from here. We arrived to late, the Colony had been almost destroyed. The First Officer, led an away team to search for survivors…"

"I thought that you where…"

"What I didn't know at the time, his wife and daughter where supposed to meet him there for some leave, they where already dead when we arrived. With an away team on the surface, we traced the ship responsible for the attack and set a pursuit course, Nimitz was faster and more powerful, but… they had two other ships waiting for us. Their plan was to capture a Starfleet ship and use it for their own needs. Overcome with his own grief and personal anger, something strange happened to Eric, he froze, he couldn't move. I had no choice but assume command in his place and we fought our way out, we took heavy damage but lost no one. I swore the bridge crew to secrecy about what happened with the Captain, I saved his career. Starfleet was told that he was knocked unconscious during the attack… I didn't want it, but I received a promotion to Lieutenant Commander for my actions"

"And he is still in command?" Archer said with disgust.

"It had taken about six months to repair the Nimitz, Eric took some personal time to deal with is own grief and three months ago, the X-O took his own personal leave to return to Vulcan, I took his place as Acting XO, during which time I have worked so damned hard to keep Eric on the straight path. He's lost his way John, perhaps that is why we are meant to be here? I have no idea. No one knows that I practically command the ship, not even my cousin. Three weeks ago, I even turned down a position as First Officer on another ship to remain here"

"I don't pretend to know about your situation or your time, but your Captain has to make his own choices. What would Starfleet do if they found out?"

"He would be forced to either retire, or take a desk job someplace, personally, I would be pushed out of the service and banned from serving within the fleet. But that's already a possibility because of what you and your crew are learning"

Entering the Captain's ready room, seemingly unannounced, Commander T'Pol apologised for her interruption as she placed an Enterprise tablet computer into the Commander's hands and spoke with an unusual calm in her voice after almost sensing the heavy air in the room from the conversation.

"Captain and Commander, I apologise for interrupting. I have discovered that the anomaly which had brought you here, will reappear beside the Enterprise in three hours. It may be possible for your shuttle and vessel to pass through to whatever timeframe that you have come from"

"If I read this right T'Pol, my shuttle created the anomaly and the weapons fire from the Nimitz, has drawn it in?"

"Correct, Miss Connor. However, I believe that a sustained burst from your shuttle's deflector will force the anomaly to open much sooner…" T'Pol replied, slowly.

"Wait a minute, this may work… it will almost deplete the shuttle's reserves, but if I do it right, I can send us back to a point almost seconds before we left? Everything that I have done here, will not exist… and time, will continue on it's original path"

"Could it be done?" Archer said with a sigh of relief.

"The calculations are, delicate Captain" T'Pol said slowly.

"I can do this, if I fail the Shuttle will be destroyed but the Nimitz should reappear in her own time. You and the rest of your crew will continue on from this point, I will be posthumously court-martialled and dishonoured for my actions, or we could simply return to our original time with all memories intact, and I will be arrested and court-martialled… and spend the rest of my life in prison. I'm willing to take that chance sir"

"And the forth option, you may fail entirely and the Nimitz will remain in this timeline" T'Pol said slowly.

"There are other ways Commander, more dangerous, but there are other ways. I have faith that my captain and crew will find their way home safely or simply vanish from records and Starfleet"

"I see, However, another situation has come to light…"

Turning slowly towards the Vulcan officer she had heard many stories of down the family line, Amanda's anger grew with each word which had passed her lips. Although part Vulcan by birthright as much of her physiology was in fact Vulcan with the exception of the Vulcan traits of slight points on her ears, as displayed on her cousin Mandy, she had lived at peace with both sides of her biology, utilising both aspects of her ancestry to find a common balance as what she had called, her own path. Her anger swelled to almost boiling point as she instantly left the ready room with the Captain mere seconds behind her. Entering the turbo lift on the bridge with all eyes upon her, her own personal anger had changed her usual calm demeanour as she stood clenching her fists before reaching into the pocket on her Enterprise uniform to retrieve her 24th century Starfleet communicator and called for a beam out back to her shuttlecraft while the Captain shook his head slightly, as he apologised for the actions of his junior officer, to the empty space before him.

Stood in the shooting range of the NX-01 which was nothing more then the Gymnasium with all equipment stowed away as a makeshift target floated through the air, energy beams from the standard Starfleet Phase-Pistol ripped through the air while the Chief Armoury Officer, Malcolm Reed continued to fire at the targets before him. Resetting the level of the test to the next level, he dropped the tablet on the ground next to him before an energy weapon fired rapidly at all targets which floated before him. Turning instantly in shock, he saw the Amanda Connor walk towards him with the silver-bluish weapon in her left hand as she reset the energy level and fired at the tablet on the ground, vaporising it before his very eyes as she pushed the weapon into his chest.

"Where is it?"

"I don't know what you mean" He protested.

"The Data that you stole Reed, where is it?"

"I deleted it, from all records"

"Bullshit! I know you Reed, I know you better then you know yourself, you kept a backup copy of the designs of this weapon. I want it back now!"

"I erased it, Miss Connor! I saw the power of that weapon, I believe that Starfleet isn't ready for it, or you and your ship"

"Why do I not believe you Reed. I know all about you and your… previous colleagues. What did you do, send them the designs and readings you took?"

"I thought about it. Those designs are centuries beyond our own… But I couldn't do it. I deleted them from all back-ups Commander, I heard the rumours floating around the ship, speculation about who you are and why you are here. You know that ship of yours could be of huge help to Starfleet, more so now?"

"I know what my ship is capable of, Lieutenant. I have everyone looking at me, almost begging to know what happened to them in their life, the truth is, I know Reed… I've studied this ship for a very long time. But your journey has only just begun and I can not interfere with that… I'm no engineer, just a pilot with a passion for history. I'm a trained field medic and field engineer… but my knowledge is centuries beyond your own. I seen the face of an enemy which can freeze the soul of even the most battle hardened Starfleet officer, even yourself. The knowledge locked away inside of this brain of mine, must stay there…"

Stepping backwards three steps with a deep sigh, his eyes instantly looked at the weapon in her hand as she knew exactly what he was going to ask. Shaking her head slightly in disbelief, she watched her own hands almost present the weapon to him as she closed her eyes as he took the phaser from her hands.

"It's called a Phaser. Levels set from light stun to vaporize…"

"Feels almost, natural in my hands" He said with a large smile.

"Be careful, you take out this entire room if handled wrong. From what I know of you Reed, you're on the right track with your own weapons. You need to be patient… don't take this Quantum Leap to soon, as the results can be… dangerous"

Spinning the weapon around in his hand, he presented the curved handle towards the Commander from the distant future as he nodded slightly with a slight one-sided smile on his face as he spoke.

"I could have taken this design myself, made that leap forwards. I would love nothing more then to talk with you about what advancements are coming, what dangers are out there…"

"You know that I can't do that. Shit, when I return home, I'm so screwed anyway. You have a long life ahead of you Reed, you do have a path, chose the right one. I wish that I could tell you more, but I can't… I'm going home soon and when I do, I will submit myself for arrest"

"You could stay here?" He said slowly.

"You know, I've thought about that? But I have a family back home, my Cousin is on that other ship, she's closer to me then anyone, almost like a sister. We had a plan, one day I would command my own ship and she would be Chief Science. Our fathers are twins and we where born on the same day… and raised together. But the truth is, I've always felt that I was just visiting that time… like I was meant for something else. Do me a favour? If you have any information of this weapon, destroy it?" Slowly, she leaned forwards and whispered into his ear. "But, remember?"

"Why?" He said slowly, with shock.

"You're a smart guy, figure it out"

Almost the instant she spoke, her eyes welled with tears as Amanda looked up at the ceiling and wrapped her hands around the sleek weapon as she mumbled under her breath, turning instantly she left the room while Malcolm Reed stood motionless as he saw both pain and joy in her eyes at the same time. Leaning against the bulkhead of the corridor, she instantly reached into her pocket once again and called for a beam out to the shuttlecraft as her heart pounded with both fear and excitement as she stepped into the pilot's seat and quickly considered her options.

"Computer, override lockout. Baker-17-9-9-3. Search historical databanks, Vulcan… Subject… My family history"

"Amanda Connor…" Called out the computer.

Materialising on the bridge of the USS Nimitz to an almost stunned crew, as they remained hidden and with their shields raised due to the effects of the gas giant, the Captain instantly leapt onto his feet as Amanda slowly walked towards him with a serene look in her eyes and a comforting smile upon her face.

"I've found our way home. It was the new engines of the shuttlecraft, it was an imbalance which had created a kind of, worm hole, a rip in space and time. There is a problem however, we'll have to expose this ship to Enterprise to get home. If we do and succeed, none of this will have happened, if we fail… We will set course for a planet beyond the rim of Federation space, far away from history and wait for time to catch us"

"That's over two hundred years…" Mister Finch said slowly, as he stood from his seat. "I have a wife and children, grandchildren"

"So do many others, Mister Finch. I will transport back to the shuttle and activate the Engines, I believe that it was the catalyst. If Commander T'Pol is correct, we should arrive mere moments before this mess happened, and nothing that we have done here would have happened. If I am wrong then this ship will simply be destroyed… we can live out our lives here and risk altering the timeline, or we can all go home?"

"How long will it take to…" The Captain said slowly.

"Already done Sir. We should occupy the same space and time as our younger selves, our memories of this incident will not have happened?"

"Do it!"

"Of course sir. Before I leave, may I have a moment with my Cousin in your ready room?"

Nodding slowly, the Captain looked up at the ceiling as his acting First Officer nodded towards the ready room. Once confused as twins, the two women entered the ready room alone while Amanda stood before her lifelong friend with a large smile on her face as she held her hands and looked into her eyes for a brief moment.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Did I ever tell you, how much I love you? You're more then a Cousin to me, closer then even a sister would be"

"A few times" Mandy said with a smile.

"You're smarter then you know, Amanda Sloan… you can be so much more, you would just need to learn how to let go and trust yourself"

"W-What are you talking about?"

"What happened to Ray? You where in love with Ray?"

"Ray? He… transferred to the Farragut, you know that"

"He made you more happy then you realise Mandy. You two where the perfect couple, you looked so amazing together everyone said so will you do me a favour? Go and get him, marry him and leave this ship and have a family?"

"Amanda, what has gotten into you? What's going, are you feeling okay?"

"For the first time in my life, I am fine. Amanda Connor to Shuttlecraft Redmond, one to beam over… energise"

Dematerialising before her cousin, her almost twin, tears rolled down her eyes as she nodded while giving the traditional Vulcan Salute, something that she had never done before despite her Vulcan heritage. Raising one eyebrow as she stood for a moment in shock, at her cousin's behaviour, her eyes instantly fell to the deck plating where Amanda once stood as a small ancient coin caught her attention, a coin given to Amanda by her own mother when she had joined Starfleet Academy, something that she had considered an almost good luck charm.


	5. Chapter 5

_Captain's Log: April 1_ _st_ _2156_. _(Secured Log Entry)_

 _We are ready, hopefully Commander Amanda Connor is correct in her calculations and we will re-enter our own timeline, several minutes before we left our time, over 220 years into the future. I must admit to feeling a little apprehensive of this current situation since I will not remember any of. On our sensors, we can see the legendary NX-01 Enterprise, and she is magnificent, beyond what any of us could have imagined. Several hours ago, we witnessed the destruction of the Earth Starship Discovery, as has history had intended… I felt sick to my very core at what I saw because I knew that we could have helped those lost souls, but that would have changed our own history. Commander Connor has transported onto the shuttlecraft and has begun to open the anomaly before us._

 _As a precaution, we have requested the Enterprise leave this system to avoid any instability in the anomaly itself._

Motionless before a slowly forming anomaly, a large deep red and orange looking triangular vortex, reminiscent of an artificial wormhole appeared as it grew in size while a long beam of energy streamed from the smaller shuttlecraft itself. Although seemingly unstable as it flickered in and out of existence, they all knew from what had been seen on their sensors that the timing had to be perfect for the USS Nimitz to enter before the tiny support vessel itself would enter, moments before it collapsed. Calling out the status of her small vessel to the mothership itself, Commander Connor wiped a single tear from her left as she maintained and almost Vulcan stoicism to her voice as she had finally understood the real reason for her being in this time.

"My energy levels are at 45% and falling. I can not hold open the vortex for much longer Captain. Now is the time…"

"Very well, Helm. Set course for the centre of the vortex, one-quarter impulse power"

"Aye sir, one-quarter impulse power. Once we are inside, Shuttlecraft Redmond, you will follow us in" Called out the Helm Officer.

"I will be…only moments behind you. Good luck Nimitz, I will see you soon"

Slowly entering the large anomaly before them, alert klaxons echoed through both the USS Nimitz and the shuttlecraft while a large fleet of Romulan vessels decloaked around them and quickly fired upon both vessels. Although entering the anomaly, their weapons and shields had failed due to the unusual effects of the anomaly itself while disrupter and torpedoes slammed against the bare hull of the USS Nimitz. Banking instantly to port to avoid a torpedo impact, Amanda smiled widely as she informed the Captain of the Nimitz to maintain his course deeper into the anomaly, while she would use her shuttlecraft's own limited weapons to create an interference and blocking all access to the ship itself.

Looping around the nearest vessel, the phasers instantly fired upon the nearest Romulan vessel to the Nimitz, collapsing it's delicate shields before she targeted the port warp nacelle. Crippling the vessel with her second volley from the phaser array, she once again stun the highly agile shuttlecraft around whilst avoiding all weapons fire, using their own weapons against them as she continued to avoid their weapons while they slammed into their own starships.

Keeping her eyes on the sensor display at her side, she smiled slightly as the USS Nimitz had finally vanished, turning back towards the anomaly, and the crippled Romulan vessel on the rim of the vortex itself, a long and sustained blast from her phaser banks finally destroyed the Romulan vessel and creating an explosion which had collapsed the anomaly itself, sealing her fate within the 22nd Century.

 _Stardate 57773.4, the experiment had failed, and as such Shuttlecraft Redmond has been destroyed which had resulted in the death of Lieutenant Commander Amanda Connor, our chief helm and acting first officer. I don't understand it, the shuttlecraft seemed to disintegrate before us with no explanation of how or why. All tests had proven the concept… as a result, I have shut down all research into the new system until we figure out just what the hell happened. We spent a day, searching for the shuttlecraft itself, nothing… not even debris to analyse._

 _We've now set course back to Vulcan, our home port. I hate writing those letters to loved ones and family, but Lieutenant Amanda Sloan; Connor's own Cousin has decided to speak with her family herself, I do not envy her in her task. I've tried to relieve her of duty, but she is as stubborn as her Cousin was. Amanda will be greatly missed by all._

Arriving at the Planet Vulcan and slowly entering orbit of their home port, assigned to them by Starfleet Command after the Dominion War had ended, Lieutenant Amanda Sloan materialised on the outskirts of the City of Raal, before a large and ancient home where her ancestors had lived for centuries. Her palms had begun to sweat as the feeling of butterflies in her stomach instantly overtook her as she as she opened the door to her childhood home where she had lived with her Cousin before they had joined Starfleet Academy together.

Almost something of a family joke while they had been children was the fact that they where twins, even given the same name by their parents, although Sloan had chosen to be known as Mandy to distinguish herself from her Cousin, with the exception of the slight points on her ears.

Stepping into the main living area of the large home, Amanda's Mother stood and nodded slightly as she approached her niece and held her as the two had wept in each other's arms. Stepping backwards slightly, Mandy raised an eyebrow as she saw what her aunt was wearing, the traditional Vulcan attire of mourning the loss of a family member.

"You know?"

"Yes my niece, I have always known that this day would arrive. You must come with me, all will be revealed"

Reaching down onto the table before her, she opened a small silver box which Amanda had never seen before as she held it close to her chest before opening the box slowly and pulled out a Starfleet Communicator. Raising an eyebrow slightly, Amanda Sloan felt a transporter beam capture her as she vanished from the room and moments later, found herself inside of a room which she had never seen before. The room was dark, warm and almost silent as her Aunt gently took her hand and entered into the darkness as the echo of their footsteps continued into almost eternity while lighting appeared before them and vanished behind them, barely lighting the way forwards as she strained her eyes to focus on what lay before her.

"Passed down from mother to daughter for over 200 years, a secret has been kept by our family since the earliest days of Starfleet. I did not want to believe it myself, but the moment that I saw you, stood before me, I knew that this day had arrived"

"What day?"

"Your… Warp test, My daughter was piloting a shuttlecraft, am I correct?"

"How did you know that? That was classified!" Mandy said instantly.

Stopping at a large metallic door, Amanda Connor's mother stood before her as she lowered her head and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"It had always seemed that, to know my daughter, your cousin was to have the sense that she was merely a visitor in this life. Amanda was not killed during the warp test… in fact, she lived a long and healthy life. Are you ready to understand a truth that our family has hidden for 224 years?"

"I do not, understand!"

"Neither do I, what is behind that door was meant for you and you alone. I have seen several old files which had requested that I bring you here, now. If you wish it, I can go with you?"

Taking a deep breath, Amanda Sloan nodded as her aunt bowed softly while she typed a series of codes into a control panel next to the large door. Instantly, a text appeared on the small screen which had asked for Amanda Sloan's personal access code. Raising an eyebrow with shock, she leaned forwards to type in her security code, given to her by Starfleet and finally, the large metallic doors slide open with rusty screech as Amanda's jaw dropped at the sight of the missing shuttlecraft before her, covered in centuries of dirt and dust.

"This is, not possible" She said slowly.

"Voice recognition, confirmed. Sloan, Lieutenant Amanda. Displaying file" The voice of the shuttlecraft computer, called out.

Activating instantly, the warp engines on the shuttlecraft glowed as if to power whatever machinery was around the vessel while a hologram appeared before the two women. Their jaws dropped instantly as Amanda stood before them wearing Vulcan attire.

"Hello Mandy, if I'm right then the warp trial had failed? That is not what had really happened, you see Mandy the USS Nimitz had been thrown back in time 224 years, six months and fourteen days, eighteen hours and forty minutes, give or take a second or two. There was an imbalance in the warp engines of the Shuttlecraft that I was piloting and as a result, it tore a hole in space and time… I was thrown into a different location then the Nimitz, almost crashed into the NX-01!"

"This has to be a joke!" Mandy said with a smile.

"This is no joke, sweetheart. I broke so many regulations… but I got you all back, we where attacked by Romulans, from that era. I managed to take out a few of their ships with the shuttlecraft before I took heavy damage. I sent Enterprise away from the area, because I knew that the Romulans wouldn't be far behind… when the anomaly that we used to send you all back collapsed, I leapt into warp instantly, towards the NX-01 for safety, I was to fast for those Romulan Bastards to catch. I know that you don't believe me, so I've left all of the data that I collected in the shuttle's database, do with it what you need to do. I'll be long dead by now anyway… I love you Amanda, please tell my mother that I am happy back here and not to worry about me?"

"This is insane!" Mandy replied to the holographic recording.

"It is insane, you're right. Don't worry, I'm just guessing that you said that. You see, when I reached Enterprise, they called for a Vulcan ship a few days latter to take me back to Vulcan, in secret… I built the house that I lived in or will live in, but I buried this shuttle, deep underground and told no one that it existed. An officer of the Vulcan ship, was assigned to monitor me by the High Council in secret, only he and T'Pau knew who I really am and where I am from. When the war with the Romulans exploded, he lost his wife on a Vulcan cruiser, two years later… after the war ended, he entered into his Pon'Farr, he was my friend and with no wife… well, let's just say that I helped him out and six months later, we married. That was two years ago, from my point of view. He has a daughter that I have adopted as my own child and I am helping him to raise her. I have the family that I have always wanted Mandy, now it's time for you to have yours. Be safe, my good and dear friend, my one true sister… do not grieve for me. Because I am long since gone… goodbye. I love you and always will"

Tears rolled down Mandy's cheeks as she looked up towards the holographic image of her long since dead cousin and closest friend as she reached out with her hand before the hologram faded away. Instantly, all lighting in the cavern slowly powered into life as she stood motionless, with her hand extended as Amanda's mother wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke.

"Amanda lived a long and happy life, Mandy. She changed her name, shortly after recording to that message to T'Lana… I see that you recognize the name?"

"T'Lana? But she was…"

"I know. The girl that she had adopted was called T'Lara, she always held a fascination with Amanda when she was younger, do you remember? The three of you where so close. Amanda raised her as her own child. I did some digging in the history files, Amanda or T'Lana helped to found the Federation itself. Do you remember when you where in school and you had to learn that speach that Archer gave? It's unconfirmed, but a legend has it that it was given to Archer by someone else… I believe that was my daughter. She always did love that speech… Honey, Amanda is why we have the Federation in the first place. She helped to reform the Coalition of Planets into the United Federation of Planets, from the sidelines of course. There is more, hidden inside of that shuttlecraft I would bet. But it's for you, not for me…"

"Aunt, if I may ask? Amanda was part Vulcan, we all know that… she also had a Vulcan lifespan, did you ever meet her?"

"The truth? I did. How strange? She was an old woman by then… and I was only seven years old, because she would avoid me, I had to push the issue of meeting her, but when I finally met her, she would tell me stories of a young woman that she once knew, unsure of herself but very intelligent and beautiful… she once slipped in one of her stories, she called her ' _A Mirror Image of Herself_ ', when you where both born, I had already known of the history… it was you, Amanda. My daughter loved you with all of her heart and more so, now honour her memory, and be happy? I know that you miss her and will for the rest of your life, as will I. But if you think of it this way, she has gone back to the beginning and from her point of view, you will see each other again, as you will both be born again. I cherish every memory of my daughter, and the elderly woman that I once knew. When you are ready, we will talk more"

"I heard the stories of T'Lana, it should have been me that went back, not her. I was ready to take that flight, but she pulled rank on me. For the first time in her life, she pulled rank on me… She said that I could take the next flight…."

Studying the database on the now ancient Shuttlecraft, Amanda Sloan had discovered more messages from her Cousin to herself, hidden in the database as she watched while the woman that she once knew, seemingly grew older before her very eyes while tears rolled down her face.

Gathered in the large hand built home, her extended family of both Humans and Vulcans had been called to gather for important news. Slowly stepping into the living area of the large home whilst wearing her Starfleet Dress Uniform, Amanda Sloan looked around at the faces before her as she slowly lowered her head with sadness as she spoke.

"I am the messenger of sad news. Several days ago, Amanda Connor boarded a prototype shuttlecraft for an engine test. Soon after entering warp, the shuttlecraft was destroyed… Amanda was killed in the accident"

 _In the Earth Year 2267..._

Disobeying orders from Starfleet Command, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 had returned to Vulcan were and unusual ceremony had been completed by the First Officer, Lieutenant Commander Spock as he fought with his own Captain to an almost fight to the death. Believing that he had killed his own Captain and friend, he returned to the USS Enterprise and finally discovered the truth about the incident as his captain had been mistakenly injected with a Neural-Paralyser Drug, which had simulated his death. After returning to the bridge, an unusual order had come through the Vulcan High Council itself as the Enterprise was to wait to receive a guest for a brief inspection of the ship itself. Beaming onboard the vessel, an elderly woman wearing traditional Vulcan Attire had ignored her own request for an inspection of the vessel itself as she made her way to the bridge of the Starship along with her aides.

Stepping onto the bridge of the ship as Vulcan First Officer stood and offered the traditional salute, she nodded slightly as she returned the salute herself before her eyes fell upon the Captain's chair as the Captain stood.

"Madam T'Lana, we are honoured by your presence" Spock said slowly.

"No Commander, it is I, whom is honoured to be here. For many years, I have followed your careers with satisfaction. I once stood on the bridge of another ship named Enterprise… Thank you, all of you for this opportunity"

"Madam T'Lana, may I present…"

"James Kirk, Captain of the Enterprise, the youngest Captain in Starfleet history. I have also followed your career with satisfaction Captain. It is good to see you once again, Captain Kirk"

"Jim, you know her?" The Doctor replied slowly.

"When he was offered Command, he almost turned down the offer"

"I was waiting for another ship, Madam T'Lana… changed my mind, thank you"

"You don't sound like a traditional Vulcan, Madam T'Lana" The Chief Medical Officer said with a half smile.

"Traditional or not, Doctor McCoy… I am Vulcan, more or less. I foresee greatness in this vessel and her crew, and I do know that your journey has only just begun…"

 _Earth Date: December 1_ _st_ _2381_

 _Location: Planet Vulcan_

Resigning from Starfleet to take up permanent residence on her homeworld of Vulcan, former Lieutenant Commander Amanda Sloan had begun to build a life for herself on her homeworld as a part-time teacher and historian of Federation history. Spending over a year studying the extensive historical database on the hidden shuttlecraft, many hidden secrets had been revealed to her about her cousin's life in the distant past from her assistance in reorganising the Coalition in the Federation, to an image of the elderly Amanda, or T'Lana as she had called herself, sat in the Captain's seat of the Enterprise NCC-1701 with James Kirk and his crew, stood around her. Discovering one more folder, buried deep inside the database, Amanda smiled as she played the image as her friend and cousin sat in the same seat as she was, many years earlier.

"It's me again Mandy, I dread to imagine what I must look like to you now, old and grey? I've come to accept that as my reality. I always imagined that we would grow old together… I miss you Mandy, have I said that enough?"

"Yes, you have" Mandy replied to the Computer.

"When I began these recordings, I thought that I had lots of time… but something happened today that has changed all of that, T'Lara gave birth to a beautiful baby girl several months ago, whilst on Earth. I hadn't seen the child until this morning. It was the strangest feeling as I knew who the child was, or will be. Nothing could have prepared me for the feeling of looking down at that baby girl. T'Lara knows who and what I am, but not who the girl is or will be, my mother. What do I say Mandy? How do I tell her that her infant daughter will be my own mother in the future? Time has finally caught up with me. Did you see the picture of me with Jim Kirk and his crew?"

"I did, you're so lucky to have met them all and sat in that chair"

"Remember when we where kids, when your father took us to the local holosuites? It was the first thing that we both called up and sat in that chair, one at a time… when we visited the Fleet Museum, we both sat in the replica ship's command chair. Beyond everything else, I wished that you had been at my side. Anyway, to my report on what I have observed since I recorded the last message…"

The End?


End file.
